This is your digital intervention. No, your family isn’t gathered in the living room. You won’t be whisked off to a dude ranch. And no one is going to “love” you through this. We just need you to turn off your digital devices for a while—after you read this article, of course.

With the new year right around the corner, many people are considering or have made definitive resolutions for 2015. Most of us look at the new year as a clean slate and have every intention of sticking to the personal or professional changes we vow to make, so why is the idea of a resolution inspiring yet hellish at the same time? As Samuel Johnson (ca. 1775) said, “Hell is paved with good intentions.” So what is it about human nature that we make promises to ourselves to change, promises that we want to keep – but suspect we won’t?

What experiences do feminist family therapists have with oppression?

That is the question Dr. Annabelle Goodwin, core faculty member of Northcentral University's School of Marriage and Family Sciences, wanted to answer in her study, "An Exploration of Feminist Family Therapists' Resistance to and Collusion with Oppression," published in the Journal of Feminist Family Therapy.

“Somebody once said that in looking for people to hire, you look for three qualities: integrity, intelligence, and energy. And if you don’t have the first, the other two will kill you,” explained billionaire Warren Buffett, one of the world’s most successful business leaders

The words “leadership” and “management” are often used interchangeably.

Sam Walton, founder of the retail empires Walmart and Sam’s Club said, “Outstanding leaders go out of their way to boost the self-esteem of their personnel. If people believe in themselves, it's amazing what they can accomplish.”

Are we more stressed out than our ancestors? Research shows that over the years, stress levels have grown along with the evolution of technology. Long-term stress can lead to inflated levels of cortisol, which for many translates into such mental debilitations as insomnia, depression and anxiety, and such physical infirmities as high blood pressure, stroke or cancer.

James Billings, Ph.D. has been Dean of Northcentral University’s School of Marriage and Family Sciences (SoMFS) for eight years. Dr. Billings has considerable professional experience as a licensed marriage and family therapist who has worked in the field for 16 years. He earned his M.A. from Pacific Lutheran University, and his Ph.D. from Loma Linda University.

We caught up with Dr. Billings to learn more about what led him into the field of marriage and family therapy and about what sets our School of Marriage and Family Sciences apart from the rest.

We all know that certain foods can change our moods. It’s been widely reported that chocolate can simulate feelings of love, and every holiday party attendee knows that alcohol tends to reduce inhibitions. But is there more to food and the mind than temporary changes to blood sugar?

The days of earning a broad education are long gone. Now is the time to focus your education and choose the right school and accompanying program that will take your career in the direction you want it to go.

Northcentral University offers a variety of online certificate and degree programs from the bachelor degree level through the doctoral degree level in the fields of Business, Education, Psychology and Marriage and Family Therapy.

Northcentral University offers a variety of degree programs and non-degree programs with their own admissions requirements and tuition costs. Learn more about the admissions process, our competitive tuition rates and how you can finance your higher education goals.

All schools should be committed to the success of their students. But it's how we go about it that not only makes Northcentral University different from many of its counterparts, but in our opinion, make us better suited to truly serve you.